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Who’s that girl? Who’s that girl? It’s Kenz! I am obsessed with New Girl. I think every girl who watches that show somehow feels a connection to Zoey Deschanel’s character, Jessica Day. Inside we are all a little quirky and awkward just like Jess. Although Zoey Deschanel plays such an awkward character, there is nothing awkward about how absolutely gorgeous she is. She has the greatest style in and out of character in every show she is on. I always love her makeup, so I created a tutorial for a makeup look inspired by her.

I always love the makeup that Zoey wears. I like that it isn’t totally polished and that it looks a little messy sometimes. That makes it more realistic. The two things that always stand out to me with Zoey Deschanel is her flawless, porcelain like skin and her gorgeous eyelashes that frame her blue eyes. I knew that teaming up with Rimmel for this look would be perfect because of their Scandaleyes Retro Glam Mascara and Stay Matte Foundation. Drugstore mascara usually gets a bad reputation, but I absolutely love the Rimmel Scandaleyes Retro Glam Mascara! It makes lashes fan out perfectly, while giving them plenty of volume too. Drugstore foundation has an even worse reputation. I can honestly say that the Rimmel Stay Matte Foundation was the first drugstore foundation that I have really loved! It totally perfected the flaws on my face, while still letting my face feel like it could breathe.

You can find both of those Rimmel products at Walmart, in the makeup section. Rimmel is also celebrating their 180 year anniversary and will be putting a $1 off coupon in the Sunday newspaper for each of these two products so make sure to grab your coupon before you head to Walmart to buy your makeup!

Now for the fun part. How YOU can create a Zoey Deschanel inspired makeup look of your own. You need…

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Remember when I told you I was going to start taking online classes to become a certified makeup artist through the Robert Jones Beauty Academy? Well, it is happening now! I am going to keep all of you posted on my progress throughout the entire journey. I can’t wait to keep you in the loop!

I have only been a legitimate student of the Robert Jones Beauty Academy for a week now and I already feel like I learned so much from the first video! In the first video, he did makeup on a model while he explained how he did it and why he did what he did. He didn’t go into major detail because those videos are coming up, but even just watching him work was so informative for me. I took 2 1/2 pages of notes as I watched that 30 minute video. I tried some of his techniques the next day when I did my makeup. I love how fresh and natural it looks while still highlighting the good parts!

I can’t wait to continue to learn from Robert Jones and to bring you all with me throughout the journey. Be sure to check back to see more of my reviews about the Robert Jones Beauty Academy. If you are interested in becoming a certified makeup artist through the Robert Jones Beauty Academy, you can find more details HERE. If you are interested in getting makeup tips from Robert Jones, you can sign up for those HERE.

This post is sponsored by Robert Jones Beauty Academy. I am being compensated through the academy and in no other way. All thoughts and opinions are 100% my own.

Words can’t even describe how excited I am to share this news with you today! Dreams really do come true!

A few months ago, I was given the opportunity to go listen to Robert Jones speak. If you don’t know who Robert Jones is, you are missing out. Just because you don’t know his name, doesn’t mean you haven’t seen his work. He is a celebrity makeup artist who has done makeup for celebrities like Selena Gomez and Cindy Crawford. He has also done the makeup for many makeup ads, especially mascara!

Robert was charming, funny, and crazy talented. He reminded all of us that it is okay to be a perfectionist! It is actually good to be a perfectionist. I also loved that he pointed out that it is beneficial to do your hair before doing your makeup. I am a strong believer in that! Don’t melt your makeup off with your hot tools, ladies!

Well, here is the exciting part! Robert Jones has started his very own Robert Jones Beauty Academy! Let me explain to you what that means. It means, that up until now, if you want to become a makeup artist, you were pretty much self taught. Many makeup artists have gone to special effects makeup school, cosmetology school, or gotten a degree in some sort of art. Robert Jones created an online course to teach people how to be makeup artists without having to go to school for something they aren’t interested in. It is amazing! You have to test out of each level in order to move up in the system, so you know you are becoming a real pro as you learn more. To attend the Robert Jones Beauty Academy, it is only $24.95 a month, or $299 a year (it is actually on a special for $249 right now)! Amazing, right? I am going to be starting as a student in his academy next month and I can’t wait to tell you all about my experience! I will keep you updated. If you are interested in becoming a makeup artist through the Robert Jones Beauty Academy, you can find more info HERE.

This is the makeup that Robert brought to teach one class. It was out of control amazing!

But what if you don’t want to be a makeup artist? What if you just want to learn how to do your own makeup? Robert Jones has an option for you too! He is offering 7 days of free lessons for real girls like you! Learn about your face shape, your eye shape, and how to customize your makeup to who you are! You can sign up for free, HERE.

Let the holiday parties begin! It is fun to dress up a little for holiday parties and it is time to have a perfect makeup look to go with your gorgeous holiday look! Adding the perfect makeup can bring your entire look to the next level. It can make you feel fabulously confident so you don’t have to worry about anything but enjoying your holiday fun!

I was given some Younique makeup to create this holiday makeup look by cute AnnieMarie of Cozy Couture Boutique. I am obsessed with these products! They are really high quality and they are jam packed with pigments so the color turned out just as vibrantly as I hoped they would. The makeup also stayed on all day long with the help of the amazing primer too!

I am totally obsessed with these products! I can’t tell you enough how impressed I am by the quality of these Younique products. For the price, they are completely affordable and are a great deal! When I created my holiday look, I used my own foundation, eyeliner, eyebrow pencil, and an additional red lipstick color that is totally optional depending on how bright you want your lips to be.

4. Put blush on the apples of your cheeks. I used the Younique Minerals Blusher in Seductive. For this look, I didn’t do any other facial contouring because I like to keep the face looking more naturally colored during the winter. Because there isn’t much sunlight to get tan, I stayed away from the bronzer. I wanted it to look like my cheeks had gotten a little rosy from the cold weather. When you use the Younique blush, be sure to put a little on your brush and then tap most of it off onto your hand. The pigments are so powerful, you can get too much on your brush pretty easily.

5. Pencil in your eyebrows.

For the eyes:

1. Apply eye primer to the entire eyelid. I used the Younique Glorious Face and Eye Primer.

2. Brush the dark brown eye shadow in the crease of your eyelid from the outside edge of your eye in about halfway across your eye. I used the Younique Infatuated color.

3. Brush the reddish pink colored eye shadow below the dark brown eye shadow. Brush it from the crease down to the lash line. I used the Younique Heartbroken color. This is one color you won’t find anywhere else. I’m obsessed with this color!

4. Brush the gold colored eye shadow from the inside edge of the eye into the previous two colors. Brush from the crease down to the lash line. I used the Younique Gorgeous color. This is another color I haven’t really seen before. It is SO gold. It is really beautiful!

5. Brush the gold colored eye shadow under the bottom eyelashes along the lash line.

6. Apply cream or white eye shadow from the crease up to the eyebrow. Brush into the previous colors just a little bit so you can blend them together. I used the Younique Curious color.

7. Apply a thick line of dark eyeliner. come out a little past your eyelid so you can create a small cat eye effect.

8. Finish of the eyes with some mascara. I used the Younique 3D Fiber Lashes. This isn’t just any mascara! This is kind of like wearing false eyelashes, without all of the hassle of applying false eyelashes. It is just two different tubes that look like mascara tubes that you use to create the perfect eyelashes.

For the lips:

1. Put some pink or red lipstick. This is optional depending on how bright you want your lips to be. I used a red Kat Von D lipstick and then kissed most of it off onto a tissue. I just wanted to add a bright color, but didn’t want it to be overwhelming.

2. Apply lip gloss on top of the lipstick. I used the Younique Lucrative Lip Gloss in Lovesick. Adding the lip gloss helps make your lips look fuller and more glamorous for your party!

Now it is time to go knock the socks off of all of those party goers!

Be sure to go like Cozy Couture Boutique on Facebook to get more details about ordering these Younique products and to see all of the other cute stuff AnnaMarie has! She has some great deals going on right now! The Younique eye shadow pigments are $10 each or 4 for $35! These pigments will last you a very long time too! The pigment is so high in them that you don’t have to use very much each time you apply it. She is also offering free boot socks with any purchase over $20! Holla! Perfect Christmas gifts!

The book is finally here! Can you even believe it? I have to keep thinking to myself, “Is this real life?” when I think of the fact that I just wrote a freaking book. After many days of dreaming up makeup tutorials, many more days of doing my makeup and making my husband take pictures of me, endless nights of photo editing, and more of those endless nights of writing and formatting, it is DONE!

Doing your makeup doesn’t have to be scary, time consuming, or a total chore anymore. This book is full of great tips and tutorials to help you with your basic makeup needs at any age. It is the perfect book to keep next to your makeup bag, or keep on your phone, iPad, or Kindle as a quick reference for those busy days that you need some inspiration.

The Busy Girl’s Guide to Makeup is available in both paperback and Kindle versions.

You can purchase the paperback version for $13.99 here. It will also be available on Amazon starting next week.

No matter how many times I read it, re read it, and re read it some more, I will always have things to pick apart and always find a few errors. That part freaks me out and makes me want to never sleep again until it is absolutely perfect. That is basically why I haven’t slept for an entire month. Luckily, I have a totally sane and supportive husband who wrote a book earlier this year. He has helped me A LOT! He also assures me that even professionally written and edited books have errors in them. That makes me feel better. Although, I do know that there will probably be a dozen editions of this book released! Ha!

I also am blessed to have some of the greatest bloggers in the entire world that I get to call my friends. They have all be SO supportive of this entire crazy idea of mine. As a fun way to officially launch the book, we decided to do a GIVEAWAY!

By now, you know that I am a major makeup lover. I am writing a book about my love of makeup! Don’t forget, it comes out on September 30th!

Well, because of my love of makeup, I have tried my fair share of makeup products, especially makeup brushes! It is kind of hard to find a good, quality makeup brush that is still affordable! Believe it or not, I have paid $15 for a tiny, little makeup brush because of the quality! Usually, you get what you pay for. That ISN’T however the case with these amazing Apple of My Eye makeup brushes that I got to test out early! Insert a choir of angels singing here…

Isn’t it gorgeous?! Well, normally, it is a steal of a deal at $29.99 on their site, BUT it is an even better deal today! What?!

Yep! It is only $16.99 on jane.com today, the website formerly known as Very Jane. Hello?! a 15 piece makeup set for only $16.99? You have to be totally crazy not to get in on this deal. Hurry! Quick! Because I have a feeling that this deal will sell out quickly. Now for a few details about why I like these brushes so much…

They are so soft! It feels so good against your skin as you brush your makeup on. It is really important to have soft, but strong brushes when applying makeup. These are a perfect marriage of those two elements. The set also comes with basically every brush you would ever want or need in your makeup tool kit. Honestly, the only brush that I use that isn’t included in this set is my kabuki brush. This kit has enough brushes to keep me happy!

They also come in a gorgeous roll up case to keep them all safe and organized! It is easy to grab and go if you are packing for a trip or even to just throw in your bathroom drawer.

You cannot miss out on this deal!

I was given a makeup brush set to try, but as always, my thoughts and opinions are 100% my own.

Ah! The big moment has FINALLY arrived! I can’t even tell you how hard it was to keep it a secret and how excited I am to be able to share this with you! I have been working on a little something… A BOOK!

It is called The Busy Girl’s Guide to Makeup. It comes out September 30, 2013! One month people! It will be jam packed full of fabulous eye makeup tutorials, face contouring, my favorite makeup, makeup tips for all ages, and all of the tutorials that I have shared as part of the Month of Makeup series! This series is seriously only a very small fraction of what will be in this book! I can’t wait to show you all what I have been working my little booty off on!

Who’s excited?! Well, there is one last part of the book that I haven’t written out yet. That is a question and answer part! I need YOUR help with it! All chosen questions will be put in the book as anonymous so you don’t have to worry about asking an embarrassing question. I want to know what your makeup and beauty questions are. Do you have any rumors you want cleared up? Want to know what kind of foundation to wear on your oily skin? Anything! Ask away! I would love to fill that section full of reader questions!

Thanks so much for your support! Don’t forget to share this post with your friends so that they can be just as excited about he book release!

Can you believe that the A Month of Makeup series is coming to an end? Today is the last day! Don’t forget to check out the next post coming in about an hour with a HUGE announcement about this series too! I will be updating my tutorials page soon with all of the tutorials from this month in it too. I wanted to end the series with a bang! I came up with a REALLY fun way to do your eye shadow that I am basically obsessed with. Ombre eye shadow!

The best part about this look, is that it can be done with fun, crazy colors, or just neutrals too. To achieve this look you need…

2. Put the darkest color of eye shadow on the lash line and go up to the crease if you have 2 colors you are working with. If you have 3, go only about halfway up to the crease.

3. If you are using 3 colors, take the next darkest color and go from the bottom color to the crease. Overlap over the last color just a little bit so that it blends really well.

4. If you are using 2 colors, take the next color and go from the crease up just a little bit. Overlap the darkest color just enough to make it blend. Don’t go all of the way up to the eyebrow, but go up enough that you can see the new color.

5. Take your white/cream eye shadow and overlap that top color just a little and brush it to the eyebrow.

I love a good smokey eye. What I love most about the look of a smokey eye, is that there can be SO many variations of smokey eye makeup! Depending on how daring you want to be, you can go bold, deep, or soft! I decided to create a really soft, smokey eye that could easily be worn during the day or for night occasions too!

To achieve this look, you need…

*Charcoal eye shadow

*Medium brown eye shadow

*Light brown or gold eye shadow

*Highlight color (white or cream) eye shadow

*Eyeliner or liner brush

*Mascara

*Eyebrow pencil

Now for the fun part! This look is really easy to do. Just follow these steps…

1. Brush charcoal shadow along outside edge of lids, up to the crease. Do it at a slight angle.

2. Brush medium brown shadow in the center of your lids, up to the crease. Brush into the charcoal color so it blends.

3. Brush light brown or gold eye shadow in the inside corner of lids and brush into the medium brown color.

4. Use highlight color to brush on the top of your eyelid from the crease to the brow.

5. Line top lid with either the same charcoal shadow that you used, or a dark eyeliner. If you want an even more bold look, line the inside of the top and bottom lid too.

6. Put mascara on the top and bottom lashes.

7. Pencil in eyebrows.

Enjoy your new look! Be sure to catch up on all of the A Month of Makeup posts that have been published all month long!

I love creating makeup looks to wear at night. I love the drama of it! Sometimes night looks can be a little too dramatic though. If you are going out to a nice dinner with your husband or just want to look extra special for a wedding reception, you don’t want anything overly dramatic. That is when it is time for a nice, neutral night eye.

It is such an easy look to achieve and the eyeliner makes such a big impact! It makes your eyes look bigger and adds just the right amount of drama to a nighttime look. Here is what you need to achieve this look…

*Cream colored eye shadow

*Light brown eye shadow

*Dark brown eye shadow

*Charcoal/Black eye shadow

*Black liquid eyeliner

*Mascara

Now for your instructions…

1. Brush cream eye shadow all over lids.

2. Brush light brown eye shadow on bottom half of top eyelid.

3. Put dark brown eye shadow on the outside corner of eyelid.

4. Using the liquid liner, line the top lash line. Go back over the top of it and brush up and out a little to make the outside edge thicker. Do this over and over again until the outside edge is pretty thick and dramatic.

5. Use a smudge brush to brush charcoal or black eye shadow into the bottom lash line.

6. Finish off with a good coat of mascara.

Now go out and have the night of your life! Be sure to check out all of the makeup posts that are part of A Month of Makeup!